Car-coupling



(No Model.) 7 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. J. F. S TRAHLE.

GAB GOUPLING.

Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

" mm; m

Witness (No Model.) 4 2 She'efs-Sheet 2.

I J; F. STRAHLE. DAR COUPLING.

No. 597,793. -Patented Jan. 25,1898.

wan s se UNITE STATES PATENT Orricn.

JACOB FRIEDRIH STRAHLE, OF BURB, NEBRASKA.

' CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 597,792, dated January 25, 1898. Application filed August 3.1, 1896i Serial No. 604,442. (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB FRIEDRICH STRAHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burr, county of Otoe, and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specifications My invention relates to car-couplings which employ pivoted jaws arranged within the draw-head, which engage with a link having a wedge-shaped'head at its ends; and the.

improvement consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts for spreading the pivoted jaws to release the link and set the jaws toreceive the link, in novel means for releasing the said jaws by the entrance of the link within the coupling-head, and in thenovel arrangement of the pivoted jaws, the, springs .connected therewith, and in the plates for covering the parts forming the coupling mechanism within the couplinghead.

in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a pair of coupling-heads at the ends of adjacent cars connected and with the coupling-head covers removed; Fig. 2, a front elevation looking into the end of the coupling-heads; Fig. 3, a sideelevation of adrawhead and couplinghead at one end of a car with parts broken away; Fig. 4, a plan'ofthe operating-wheel and chain-levers connected with the coupling-jaws for uncoupling the link and setting the coupler; and Fig. 5, a plan view of the crossbar, toggle links, ratchet-wheel, and a fragment of the pawllever comprising the coupling-jaw-operating mechanism.

The ends of the frames of the cars A support the draw-heads B, secured thereto in the usual way by straps C, the draw-bar D; and torsion spring E, being of well-known pattern. The coupling-head F at the outer end of the draw-head is cast witha box-like opening f, provided with a cover F, held in place thereon by two-bolts G, which pass vertically through the coupling-head box and cover and hold the latter thereon by screw-nuts f upon .the upper ends of said bolts, which screw down upon the cover. vThe bolts G also pass each through the middle part of oppositelydisposed coupling-jaws H H, arranged upon each side of and within the coupling-head box, the forward or outer ends of said jaws being provided with heads or shoulders 7L, which engage with corresponding reversed shoulders '4 upon a double-headed coupling linkl of a pattern generally used in couplings ofthisclass, slots 1' in the ends of said link and also in the couplinghead serving to receive the coupling pin of an ordinary link coupling.

The outer ends of the jawsI-I H are pressed inwardly to engage with the link I by spiral springs h h, which are held within recesses covered by caps b, secured-by screws b upon the sides of the coupling-head, and which may be removed to give access to the said spring whenever required. The pivoted coupling-jaws H are pressed inwardly by said springs at their outer ends and are connected at their inner ends by pins It with togglelinks K, and the opposite or inner ends of said toggle-links are pivoted by pins 7t with the opposite end of a crossbar L, having a hub-bearing l and a ratchet-wheel L fixed thereon upon a vertical shaft L supported in bearings in the coupling-head, the said cross-bar lying longitudinally with the crosshead when the coupling-jaws are open to receive the link and diagonally'acrosssaid couplinghead when the said jaws are closed upon the heads of the link.

' An abutment-block pawl M, pivoted to one of the side bolts G, which carries a coupling is so shaped and disposed within the coupling'box or head that the abutment end in thereof may be struck by the coupling-link when it has entered 'sui'liciently and serves as a trigger, the pawl end on of said blockpawl engaging with the ratchet-Wheel L to hold the coupling-jaws open against the side pressure of the spiral springs h, and the said pawl M is held by a spiral spring m pressing between it and the adjacent coupling-jaw H to hold the said pawl engaged with the ratchet-wheel when the abutment-block at the forward end of said pawl is not pressed against by the coupling-link.

vAhand-wheel N at the upper end of the shaft L within reach of the brakeman uponthe platform or upon the top of the car, may

be used to turn the cross-bar L and open the jawsto set the coupling, and achaindever Q is also secured to the said shaft L and has chains l eitending to the sides of the car coupling-pin.

. desired.

over suitable pulleys, and operated either with perfect safety by hand or by suitable connections (not shownywith the air-brake.

In operation the brakeman-at the top of the car or on the platform thereof may by turning the shaft L set the coupling-jaws HH by .throwing the cross-bar L longitudi nally with the coupling-head and drawingin outer notched ends thereof against the action of the laterally-pressing spiral springs, the ab11tn1 ent-pawlby itsspi'ral spring beingheld with sufiicient pressure against theratch'et- Wheel of the'shaft L to'hold the partsin the set position and allow the coupling-link to be Withdrawn from the head and the cars uncoupled. When the cars come together again,

the inner ends of the jaws H H to open the the cou pling-link strikes the abutrn ent-block of pawl M, causing it to release the ratchetwheeland its connections and allow the jaws H H to again interlock with the end of the several parts described are so put together that they may be all readily taken apart when The covers, caps, bOltS, and

I clairn as fniy invention ,by Letters Patent and desire to secure l. The combination in a-carcoupling, of

the coupling-head with the two pivoted oppositely-disposed couplingejaws; the crossbar, ratchet-wheel and verticalshaft, the to gle-links connecting the cross-bar and coup- 1 ling-jaws and pivoted abutment-pa wl adapted to engage 'with the ratchet-Wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with the coupling-head, of the oppositely-disposed 'pivotedjawgthecross-bar ratchet wheeland toggle-links, the-abutment-pawl and spring",

a vertical shaft supported in the couplinghead to whichthe ratchet-Wheel is secured 

